Responding to the Government’s Draft Pre-legislative Statement published yesterday, Katy Gordon, Parliamentary Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, said:

“On Tuesday we heard that Gordon Brown was giving away £2.7 billion to all tax payers to plug the hole for the lower paid created by his abolition of the 10p tax rate.  But only around £630m – less than a quarter – will actually go to the 5.3 million people who lost out, making it an extremely poorly targeted policy.

Yesterday he rushed out his legislative plans for next year 2 months earlier than last year.  But these proposals are either addressing things the Government said weren’t a problem, like the economy, or trying to turn around problems the Government has created, like over-centralisation.  Do we really need another 6 Home Affairs Bills, when they have already created 3,000 new offences since 1997?  These proposals will do nothing to help the people of Glasgow North who are struggling with fuel poverty and the rising cost of living.

Is it a coincidence that both announcements have come at a time when Labour is desperate to avoid a by election defeat in Crewe & Nantwich?  Policy making in response to news headlines is no way to run the country.”